upsate ny restoration

Sunday, December 7, 2014

This is the Claverack, New York, home of Peter Spears and Brian Swardstrom built in 1786.

This sounds like a tough restoration. They noticed a pucker in the ceiling, which eventually turned out to be a split the main beam supporting the second floor! A 20th-century bathroom installation had created too much stress. Yikes!

The dining room mural is so beautiful. It is by Elektra Buhalis and is painted in the style of the 19th-century New England artist Rufus Porter.

Hello Ann, I could easily move right into this house, and from a comment on the Elle Decor site, it is apparently for sale. I like almost everything in these photos, although it seems that the house needs something to enliven it a little--perhaps it was a trifle overly-staged for these photos.--Jim

I thought that too but then I ask myself if my standards are just lower now living with a toddler! Everything is everywhere! But I love what they've done and even if staged and perfectly perfect looking, it still seems very cozy and approachable to me.